This invention relates to advertising articles, and particularly to such articles having an automatically activated indicator such as a light source or sound source.
Various methods of drawing attention to or otherwise enhancing the effect of an advertising message or symbol on a physical article have been proposed in the past, such as a method, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,358,754 to Young et al., of illuminating an advertising symbol in a flashing manner in synchronization with variations in the volume of a detected sound.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,934,079 to Hoshi discloses a display panel device having a sensor sensitive to heat, light, sound waves, currents and magnetism, and a recorder/playback mechanism which is automatically activated by the sensor to play back a recorded message such as an advertising message in audible form. A device in the form of a greeting card, display card or the like, which is said to be useful for advertising-promotional display literature, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,299,041 to Wilson. The disclosed device includes an effects generator which produces light and/or sound and/or movement of parts in response to light, sound, temperature, internal timers, attitude or position of the device or touch, such as an electrical conductive path being produced between two contacts, or standard radio frequencies, electromagnetic radiation or humidity change.
Illuminated drinking glasses bearing advertising indicia and having automatically activated indicators have also been proposed, such as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,211,699 to Tipton, which patent discloses a mercury tilt switch to complete a lighting circuit when the glass is upright, and U.S. Pat. No. 2,663,866 to Simpson, which patent discloses a conductive ball that moves when the glass is tilted more than 90xc2x0 from its upright position, and thereby completes a circuit which turns on a light.
Illuminated drinking vessels have been an object of interest for more than fifty years, as exemplified by the above-referenced Simpson patent and the following patents:
Illumination is controlled in a number of different ways in the devices disclosed in these patents, such as a plunger-activated switch in the Schroyer patent, tilt switches with conductive balls or mercury beads, as in the Runge and Russell patents, a simple mechanical switch in the Makowsky patent, and an impedence-based moisture sensor in the Dietz et al. patent. Russell also discloses a liquid level detector which employs a piezoelectric sound transceiver having two piezo films physically apart from one another, embedded in the side/base corner of the cup, with the two piezo films designed to operate in concert by responding to periodic signals from a noise/frequency generator with periodic return signals at particular frequencies and power levels dependent on the level of liquid in the cup. The design is said to be based on the fundamental principle that the harmonic frequency of the cup and liquid changes as the amount of liquid in the cup changes. Russell also mentions that other types of transceivers and transducers may be used to detect level changes, such as pressure, optical, fluid, mechanical, or surface acoustic waves.
All known prior art advertising articles with controlled light or sound sources, such as those described above, have disadvantages such as mechanical, electrical or electronic complexity, or an inability to produce desired effects during normal use of the article, e.g., a drinking cup. For example, it would be particularly attention-getting to have lights begin to flash on a cup when it is set or tapped on a table or when the side of the cup is rapped with one""s fingernails or knuckles, and then to sustain the flashing action when the cup is simply held in one""s hand or allowed to rest on the table. Various devices are known for initiating a response when a drinking vessel is picked up or tilted a required amount or when the liquid level changes, as discussed above, but numerous efforts over manysyears involving lighted drinking vessels have failed to produce a simple, inexpensive device capable of producing a simple, desirable response such as that described above.
Moreover, there remains a need for advertising articles with automatically activated indicators in which the sensor occupies minimal space and in which the sensor and complete indicator assembly have minimal impact on the design of the overall article.
A further need exists for advertising articles with automatically activated indicators in which the sensor, indicator and entire article are of simple construction, compact, inexpensive to manufacture, and efficient and reliable in operation.
This invention overcomes the above-stated disadvantages and other drawbacks of the prior art and meets the above-stated needs as well as others.
The invention employs a piezoelectric sensor attached to an advertising article such that the sensor is responsive to mechanical force experienced by the advertising article during normal use, and, in response to such force, produces an output level sufficient to trigger a signal generator which in turn supplies a signal to activate a visual or audible indicator which is connected thereto.
One embodiment of the invention is a drinking vessel with an automatically activated indicator, in which the drinking vessel has a piezoelectric sensor mounted therein which is responsive to mechanical force experienced by the drinking vessel. A triggerable signal generator has a trigger input connected to the piezoelectric sensor and is triggered by a predetermined output signal level produced by the piezoelectric sensor in response to force experienced by the drinking vessel during normal use. A visual or audible indicator is connected to and activated by the signal generator.
A drinking vessel with an automatically activated visual indicator according to this invention has no moving parts such as conductive balls therein and therefore has increased reliability, and also sounds and feels no different to the user than an ordinary drinking vessel. There is no adverse effect on the user""s comfort level in drinking out of the vessel, as there might be if the user heard or felt something move in the vessel as he started to drink out of it.
In another embodiment of the invention, a tabletop advertising article comprises a panel bearing advertising indicia, means for supporting the advertising panel in an upright position on a tabletop, a piezoelectric sensor mounted on the advertising panel and responsive to mechanical force experienced by the panel, a triggerable signal generator having a trigger input connected to the piezoelectric sensor and triggered by a predetermined output signal level produced by the piezoelectric sensor in response to force experienced by the advertising panel during normal use, and an indicator connected to the signal generator.
Another embodiment of the invention is an advertising ornament having a panel bearing advertising indicia, means for hanging the advertising panel on a movable vertical support surface so as to allow the panel to swing with respect to the support surface, a piezoelectric sensor mounted on the advertising panel and responsive to mechanical force experienced by the vertical support surface, a triggerable signal generator having a trigger input connected to the piezoelectric sensor and triggered by a predetermined output signal level produced by the piezoelectric sensor in response to force experienced by the vertical support surface during normal use, and an indicator connected to the signal generator.
It is a general object of the invention to provide an improved advertising article and method of attracting attention to advertising articles.
Another object of the invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive device capable of reliably producing desirable responses.
A further object of the invention is to provide an advertising article with automatically activated indicator in which the sensor occupies minimal space and in which the sensor and complete indicator assembly have minimal impact on the design of the overall article.
Yet another object is to provide an improved advertising article with automatically activated indicator in which the sensor, indicator and entire article are of simple construction, compact, inexpensive to manufacture, and efficient and reliable in operation.
A still further object of the invention is to increase the reliability of an automatically activated indicator by eliminating moving parts.